A Different Kind Of Butterflies
by munrochambers4ever
Summary: Eli experiences a different kind of butterflies as Clare's stomach grows...with his child. Tons of Fluff : T just in case. *NOW COMPLETE!*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! it's one o'clock so, yes, it is officially December 25th****! I hope you all get the gifts you want! alright, WELL, everyone in my house is drunk beyond comprehension. I'm the only sober one and I'm so bored so I'm posting the first chapter to the sequel to "Butterflies" I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi ): if I did, it would probably be the Eli show XD**

**Another disclaimer: I don't own the song in this chapter either. **_**With Arms Wide Open**_** by Creed. but it is a great song and me and my daddy's song (merry Christmas, daddy, I love and miss you) :D**

**(still in Eli's POV by the way)**

I laid in my bed, my ear phones in and the music on its highest level. I could practically feel the music moving throughout my body, the music was so loud. But it was my new favorite song. It drowned out the world and it made me see my entire life before my eyes for some unexplained reason.

_Well I just heard_

_The news today_

_It seems my life_

_Is gonna change_

_I close my eyes_

_Begin to pray_

_Then tears of joy_

_Stream down my face_

_With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to this place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_With arms wide open_

_Well I don't know_

_If I'm ready_

_To be the man_

_I have to be_

_I'll take a breath_

_I'll take her by my side_

_We stand in awe_

_We created life_

_With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to his place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_Now everything has changed_

_I'll show you love_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_With arms wide open_

_Ill show you everything_

_Oh yeah_

_With arms wide open_

_Wide open_

_If I hade just one wish_

_Only one demand_

_I hope he's not like me_

_I hope he understands_

_That he can take his life_

_And hold it by the hands_

_And he can greet the world_

_With arms with open_

_With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to this place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_Now everything has changed_

_Ill show you love_

_Ill show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

My eyes were closed and I probably couldn't hear a bomb go off, but I felt someone touch my arm and my eyes snapped open.

Clare was sitting on my bed looking at me, her eyes scared and panicked. I pulled my head phones off and threw them against the floor.

I caught Clare in my arms at the same time she began to cry. I didn't say anything at first, just held her and let her cry. Whatever it was, she'd tell me when she was ready.

I gently rocked back and forth and kept my hand moving up and down her back, trying to soothe her. It didn't work. Her arms were locked around my neck and she was shaking with her sobs.

It began to be too much. "Clare, what's wrong?"

She couldn't form actual words through her tears. It was about twenty minutes later, that she composed herself and pulled back to look at me.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"I'm sorry I lost it like that. I've just been holding it in and I needed to get it out,"

"That's okay, I don't care. Tell me what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?"

She ignored all my questions and asked me one of her own. "Eli, what would it take for you to break up with me?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Clare knows I would _never_ leave her.

"Just answer it,"

"Why? You planning something?" I asked sarcastically.

"Eli, this is serious. What would I have to do to get you to break up with me?"

I was desperately confused, but I answered. "Cheat on me. I wouldn't break up with you for anything, unless you cheated on me,"

She sighed and started to smile. "Really? That's the only thing?"

"Yes. Now please, tell me what's wrong," then her question made sense. My eyes widen and I let go of her hands. "You didn't…"

"No, no, no, no, no," she assured and I took her hands again. "I would never cheat. I just-" she took a deep breath. "Eli, I don't know how to say this,"

"Tell me. I won't be mad at you no matter what," This was starting to bother me. I needed to know why she was sad and what was going to be done to the bastard that caused her to cry.

She took in a deep breath and held it for a long time. I mean, a _long _time. She finally let her breath out and looked me directly in the eyes. I could see the fear.

"Eli," she whispered my name like I was about to kill her. "I'm…pregnant."

My body stopped. I shut down. I stopped breathing and my heart stopped beating. I couldn't blink or move an inch.

Clare was _pregnant? _With my baby? Half of me was in her stomach? I created _life_? Clare was having _my_ baby?

"Eli, say something," she begged.

I tried to force my voice out, but it came out cracked and broken and barley audible. "Are you sure?"

"I have to go to doctors still, but the three pregnancy tests I took all came up positive. Eli, I'm having your baby,"

I flinched when she said that. It made it all the more real. My baby. Mine and Clare's baby. Happiness traced the fear away and I smiled.

"Did you tell your mom?"

"Not yet. I needed to tell you first,"

"I just don't understand how this happened," I muttered, more to myself than her, but she gave me a dumb look. "I mean I know _how_ it happened, I'm just saying, I used a condom,"

"Well, I guess it broke,"

The way she said it made a new emotion fill my body. Torched me with it. I was over powered by it and I felt a tear fall from my eye.

Guilt.

I pulled Clare back into my arms and tried to control my sobs. "Clare, I'm _so_ sorry. I can't believe this. I am so stupid. I can't believe I got you pregnant. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone along with it. I should have respected the 'before marriage' thing. I shouldn't have let my hormones take over me. Oh, but it's too late for that. Clare, I'm sorry, I should have felt the condom break, I should have done something, but I didn't and now you have to go through this. Clare, I am so sorry,"

"Eli," she pulled away to look at me. "This isn't your fault at all. I wanted to have sex, okay? I don't regret a second of it, and I don't regret being pregnant. And we'll get through this together," she took my hand and looked up.

I nodded in reassurance. "You won't be alone in this for a second. But, Clare, when you say 'get through this' do you mean _through _it? Like abortion? Because I really don't want you to get one. I mean, I know it's your body and everything, so I get it if you don't wanna go through with it, but please don't kill our baby," I placed my hand gently on her stomach.

She smiled. "I don't believe in abortions,"

"Good,"

She put her hand over mine. "Do you really think we can do this?"

"I don't know. But we have nine months to get ready, right? I can get a job, we can figure all this out together. I think we can make good parents if we tried,"

She started to cry again.

"What's wrong? What hurts?"

"Eli," she whispered.

"I'm here. What's wrong?"

She continued to cry, and then she looked up at me. "What about adoption?"

"What?"

"I don't think we're ready for this. It's gonna put a strain on our relationship, we are gonna be cranky, our parents are gonna hate this, we're 18 and 17, we're still in high school with no job. We can't do this,"

"Clare, we have to try. We made this baby; we can't pawn him or her off on someone else,"

"I'm not pawning anyone off!" she argued. "I'm just saying this baby might not have a good life in the situation we're in. Maybe when I get further along, we can decide for real,"

She was trying to change the subject, but I kept thinking about it. I couldn't imagine, knowing I had a baby, but he or she wasn't with me and I didn't raise it. A stranger did.

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"Well, we had sex three months ago and that was the only time, so I'm guessing around three months,"

I began laughing, bitterly.

"What's funny?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just the one and only time we have sex and I you get pregnant. It's so my luck,"

She took my hand. "This isn't your fault, Eli. Quit blaming yourself,"

"But I'm the man, Clare. I should have known. And now I'm gonna be a father,"

"A good one," she murmured.

"If you decide to keep it," I growled.

"What are your opinions on adoption?"

"I don't want to do it. We made this baby, Clare. Us. Me and you. Why should somebody else get to raise our creation? It's not fair to us, the other parents, the baby. Wouldn't he or she want to know its parents?"

"He or she could still know us. It could be an open adoption,"

"You're serious about this?"

"Eli, I'm seventeen years old. I can't be a mom,"

"Whether you give the baby up or not, you're still gonna be a mom. Clare, why are you doing this? We made the baby; we're raising the baby," I stated.

I wasn't letting this argument go until I won. There was no way I was letting her give my son or daughter to a complete stranger when he or she was half of me. Knowing I helped created the baby-I just couldn't give it up.

"Don't you want him or her to be happy?" she asked.

"Yes. And he or she could be happy with us. Of course we'll love it, so what's the problem?"

"Eli, you have to think rational. We aren't even out of high school-we can't raise a baby for eighteen years,"

"But we need to try!" I stood up off the bed, suddenly furious. "We need to take responsibility for what we did. This baby may have been an accident, but he or she isn't a mistake. _We _did this. _We _had sex. This is because of us; _we_ need to be responsible,"

"I'm trying to be responsible!" she screamed back at me. "I love this baby already, and that's why I want to give it a better life. We created it, yes, but we can't raise it. It won't be happy. I am being responsible by giving it a happier life with better parents,"

"I don't care who is the better parents. _We're _the parents. We need to raise our baby!"

"Eli, the baby isn't even here yet, please, let's just calm down and tell our parents. Maybe if they offer to help, we can get through this without adoption,"

"I know my parents will help. They don't believe in adoption,"

"They don't? How come?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. Let's go tell them,"

She paled. "Now?"

"Might as well. They probably heard the yelling up here anyways," I held my hand out and she took it. As much as I was mad at her right now, I still loved her with all my heart. I _would_ convince her to keep our baby.

We walked downstairs and my parents were sitting in the living room, watching some stupid game show on TV.

My mom turned it on mute when we came it. "Eli, we heard yelling up there. Is everything okay?" she eyed Clare, who looked scared out of her mind.

"Mom, we have to talk to you," I sighed.

"Okay. What's up?"

I took in a deep breath and finally understood why it took Clare so long to tell me. I was terrified.

"Mom, Clare is…" My throat closed. I couldn't say it. I turned to Clare and she shook her head, panicked.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" my mom asked.

I nodded, too afraid to speak.

"Eli, Eli, Eli," my mom sighed. "I thought you knew better than this,"

"I'm sorry, Mom, I know I was stupid, but I love Clare. I'm not leaving her because of this,"

"Damn right your not. You and Clare are gonna have this baby. You're gonna be the best parents you can be and we're gonna help," she motioned to herself and my dad. My dad nodded.

Clare stiffened next to me and my mom noticed. "You are keeping it, right?" she asked Clare.

"Well, I'm not getting an abortion, but I was considering adoption,"

My mom looked at me now. "Eli, are you okay with this?"

"No, I'm not," I admitted honestly. "I don't want to give my baby up. It's my baby, I want to raise it,"

My mom smiled. "You sound like me," she murmured before speaking louder. "Clare, have you told your parents yet? Or seen a doctor?"

Clare shook her head. "I just found out today and came over to tell Eli. I plan to tell my mom tonight, then see a doctor tomorrow,"

My mom nodded. "Are you sure about adoption?"

"Not 100%, but I'm pretty sure,"

"Don't I get any say in this?" I yelled, ripping my hand from hers. "I mean, it's my baby, too, don't you need, like, my permission or something? Why don't I get to decide anything?"

"Alright, Eli, calm down," my mom said. "I know it's frustrating, but you have to respect Clare's point of view. And Clare, you need to hear Eli out. You both have to have a very serious talk about this. I know you aren't that far along yet. I mean you aren't showing a bit, but trust me, these nine months are going to go by fast. You need to decide soon and be ready for either outcome. After you tell your parents, I want you two to have this talk. And figure everything out. If you parents want to join you, we'll be there, too. But I think you two need to decide it first before you bring anybody else into this. And this decision, whatever it may be, doesn't need to break you two up. I've never seen a teen couple like you two. Don't loose each other over this. Hear each other out and decide,"

Clare began to cry. "Okay, Mrs. Goldsworthy. Thank you for being so supportive,"

I took Clare in my arms and held her. "Mom, we're gonna go. I'll call you if we all need to talk and I'll be home kinda late,"

"I understand and…I'll respect you decision…whatever it may be," her voice cracked a little at the end and I felt my eyes fill with tears. I mouthed _okay_ and we walked out to Morty.

"So, Clare, do you wanna have the big talk first of tell your parents,"

"I wanna talk first. I need to know exactly what's gonna happen before I tell my parents,"

I nodded. "So…can I explain to you a different reason why I don't want you to give the baby up?"

"Sure,"

I couldn't help it. I started to cry. It was my own memory and pain that made me cry, not Clare's or the baby's. Clare took my hand.

"My mom was fifteen when she got pregnant," I began. "She was terrified. Had no idea what to do. Her parents kicked her out. She had to live with my dad and deal with being pregnant. My dad's parents never liked my mom, but they said she could live with them. They had a tough relationship and no money. My mom was going to get an adoption. She had met the parents and everything was set up. She wanted to give me a better life. She didn't think her and my dad could do it. She wanted me to be happy, not sad and poor like they were. She liked the adoptive parents. They weren't rich, but they had enough money to raise a child. See, they couldn't have babies, but always wanted one. So my mom said she'd give them me. But when I was born, she held me, took one look into my eyes-_her_ eyes copied exactly-and couldn't do it. She said it was hard, having to tell the parents. She felt terrible. She had to give them hope, promise them a baby, and then change her mind in a split second. She was fifteen and my dad was sixteen, but they knew that they created life and they wanted to keep me and raise me no matter what the outcome because of what they made. My mom told me it was the hardest decision she's ever had to make, but when she sees me everyday, and how happy I am and growing up well, she knows she made the right decision.

"My life growing up was hard. I'll admit that. I was poor. I lived my grandparents till I was, like, seven. I didn't have the cool new clothes or the latest phone, but I was happy. If I could go back and chose I would have chosen the same exact thing. If growing up with money meant growing up with people who weren't my family, then I don't want that. And that's why I want you to keep this baby. Sure, it'll be hard, but we'll love it and I can guarantee you, when it grows up, you'll know we made the right decision. I know babies are expensive and time consuming, but all it _really _needs is love. Sometimes, I'll try to imagine what I would be like if my mom had gone through with it. But then I realize, I don't care. I was raised by mom actual mother and actual father. Genetically what I'm made of and I couldn't be happier. That baby inside of you-it's half of us, Clare, and I want to watch my baby grow up and have fun. I don't wanna know I'm a parent and not be able to teach him how to throw a baseball or let her borrow the car. I don't want somebody else to experience parenthood with our baby,"

It was a pretty long speech. I cried throughout most of it and so did Clare. We hugged and she sobbed against my shoulder. "Eli, I had no idea," she whispered.

"I know. But I cant stand to see you give that baby up, when I already love it,"

"And you're sure we can do this?"

"I'm not saying it wont be hard, because it will be. But we can get through it. I love you, and I love that baby. That's all that matters,"

She put a hand over her stomach. "I love him, too,"

"Him?" I asked.

"Well, I always wanted a boy," she smiled.

I laughed. "But we're having a girl," I put my hand over hers. "And she'll have your eyes,"

"But, I want a boy," she whined. "And I want him to look exactly like you,"

"No, she'll-"

She cut me off. "We are so backwards,"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in a normal relationship, the guy wouldn't want the baby. And the guy would want a son and the mom would want a daughter,"

"I guess, we're not normal, then, are we?"

"I guess not,"

I laughed. "So, Clare, we're doing this? We're keeping it?"

She took in a very long deep breath. "Yes. We are gonna have this baby,"

I smiled and pulled her into my arms. "Thank you, Clare, oh, thank you so much,"

She laughed and hugged me back. "I cant promise that'll we'll be the best parents, but we cant try, right?"

"Absolutely," I let her go and started the car.

**author's note: so it's kinda long, but is it a good first chapter? I loved the Eli story, personally. idk why? anyhoo, please…as your Christmas gift to me…review the first chapter? cant guarantee I'll post the next chap tomorrow…unless I get bored with the family. merry Christmas and good night! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. I know I did. I got the Degrassi season box sets(: alright, this chapter is gonna be kinda short because I gotta go to the mall, but here it is. **

**Oh and by the way I loved the reviews! I've never been pregnant before so I don't know if I'll get everything about like the weeks and baby growth right, but I googled a lot of stuff and tried so please bare with me if I made a few mistakes. Thank you! **

We drove to Clare's house in silent and when we pulled into the driveway, my stomach dropped. They already hated me. This would only make it a thousand times worse.

Clare turned to me. "You ready?"

"Not even a little bit,"

We got out of the car and walked inside. Her father was watching a football game on the TV and her mom was doing dishes.

"Mom, Dad, can I talk to you both?"

Her dad turned off the TV and walked to the kitchen table. Her mom turned the water off, dried her hands on a towel and sat next to Mr. Edwards.

"Eli, always lovely to see you," Mrs. Edwards lied sweetly. I smiled back anyway.

Clare and I sat down across from them and Clare took a deep breath. "Mom, Dad, I want you to know that I love Eli, okay? And he loves me. We are gonna be together forever,"

Her mom's eyes widened. "You two aren't telling your eloping or something, right?"

"No, mom, we aren't getting married. We just have something very important to tell you,"

"Okay, shoot," her mom was looking back and forth between us. Her eyes stopped on Clare. "Clare, say something. It cant be as bad as what I'm thinking,"

"What are you thinking?" Clare whispered.

"I'm thinking you're pregnant with his child, but that's not possible. You're abstinent," Even though the words were harsh, I still felt some joy, by hearing someone say _having his child_ to Clare.

Clare and I were quiet. I looked down at the table.

"Clare Dianna Edwards, you better correct me right now," her mom ordered.

Clare silently shook her head, tears falling from her eyes. "Mom, I'm pregnant,"

"Clare. How could you? You pledge to stay pure until marriage,"

"I know, mom, but I love Eli,"

Her mom stood up and scoffed. "You know I played along with this whole 'I love Eli' kick, but it's gone on for too long. You're teenagers! You don't have the first clue what love is! Ugh, I wish you would've stayed with that K.C. fellow. He never pressured you,"

"Mom, K.C. got Jenna pregnant and _left_ her. At least Eli's staying by my side,"

"For now,"

I looked up to glare at Clare's mom. "Mrs. Edwards, I am _not_ leaving Clare,"

"That's right your not. You both are gonna deal with this mistake,"

I stood up. "Mistake? This baby is _not_ a mistake!"

"You will not raise your voice to my wife in my house," Mr. Edwards said, calmly.

"I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect, but your wife is calling my baby a mistake and I don't appreciate that,"

"So you planned this?" she asked.

"No, but that doesn't mean he or she is a _mistake_. I already love the baby and I still love Clare. My-_our_ baby changes nothing,"

"You say that now, Eli," she pressed, calmly, and matter-of-factly. "But what happens when Clare gets moody or when the baby is screaming it's head off in the middle of the night. Will you stick my her side then?"

"You can bet anything I will. That is _my _baby in there," I pointed to Clare's stomach. "I take full responsibility for it. I know what I did was stupid and completely my fault. I shouldn't have had sex with Clare, but this is the outcome and I'll deal with it, because it's _mine_."

I know I shouldn't be taking full claim for this baby. I mean, it was Clare's, too, but I was making a point. I loved the baby already.

Clare's mom ignored me and turned to Clare. "Clare, honey, are you sure about this. I mean adoption-"

"No, mom, adoption is out of the question. Like Eli said, we did what we did and we take responsibility for our actions. It may not be the right time to have the baby, but it doesn't change the fact that we're it's parents,"

I smiled so big it hurt. My heart swelled with love for both Clare and the baby. Hearing Clare say that. Say that she wanted the baby made me almost pass out in joy.

"Clare," her mom sighed.

"Mom, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I know I'm completely sure of three things. One, I love Eli with all my heart. Two, Eli loves me back. And three, I love this baby with all the love I can find. This is my baby. How I feel about this baby is how you feel about me,"

Her mom began to cry. "Clare, honey, you know I love you, but I just don't want to this this mess up your life,"

"It's not gonna mess up my life, mom," she argued. "It's gonna make it better. You always said, being a mom was the best joy in the world. Well, now, I'm gonna feel that joy, even though it's a little early,"

Her mom nodded. "I know, I know. So when did you find this out?"

"Today. Then I told Eli and came here," she left out the part about how we already talked about adoption.

Mrs. Edwards looked up at me. "And you're sure about this, too?"

"I'm sure about Clare and I'm sure that I love this baby," I said, no shakiness in my voice, no tremble, no nothing. I was completely sure.

"Okay. Well, Clare, I'm going to help you through this. Eli, what do your parents think?"

"They're supportive," I answered. "They wished we would've waited to have children, but they know we can do it,"

Clare nodded. "I can do it, mom,"

"So, we need to make you a doctor's appointment," her mom rushed to the phone and dialed a number.

"Mom?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I stay with Eli tonight? We still have a lot of things to discuss. Can you just text me when the appointment is?"

Mrs. Edwards sighed. "Well, you're already pregnant, so I guess you cant get into anymore trouble. Sure,"

"Thank you," Clare took my hand and we walked up stairs. She grabbed her bag and filled it with clothes and whatever else she needed.

We got in Morty when she was done and drove back to my house. When we walked inside, my mom looked horror struck. "Clare, your parents didn't kick you out, did they?" she asked, looking at the bag.

"No, I just wanted to stay with Eli tonight. I hope that's okay,"

"Of course. We'd love to have you, anytime,"

"Thank you,"

Clare and I walked up to my room. She put her bag on the floor and I picked my iPod off the floor where I left it from this afternoon. I laughed, looking at the song.

_With Arms Wide Open _by Creed. Guess I know why that song made me think about my life. This song was exactly what I was going through. I plugged it in into the stereo.

Clare looked up at me. "Why do you have this?"

"My parents listened to it with me a lot when I was a baby. It's comforting and now it's exactly how I feel,"

Clare came over to me on the bed and I held her. We fell asleep listening to the song and thinking about our baby.

**Author's note: how'd you like Clare's parents take on it? Expected? Unexpected? Let me know….**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: okay again I've never been pregnant so I might be wrong about a few things but bare with me. This is the chapter we find out if Clare is having a boy or a girl. And what they are naming the baby.**

**Enjoy(:**

I turned over to see the sun peaking through my bedroom windows and right into my eyes. I squinted and rolled back over onto empty bed sheets.

"Clare?"

I sat up and took in the room. The sun was just coming up, making everything cast shadows. I looked at my clock. Five-thirty? Ugh. 

And then I remembered what happened yesterday.

Clare was pregnant. Clare was having my baby. We were going to be parents. I smiled to myself, thinking about someone calling me daddy. I hoped she would be a daddy's girl. Despite what Clare said, I was still sure it was as girl.

I looked around the room, thinking of Clare. She stayed over last night, right? Her bag was still at the foot of the bed. 

When I heard the toilet flush, I remembered. She was pregnant. She had morning sickness. 

I promised her she wouldn't be alone through this, so I got up and walked into the bathroom. She was crouched over the toilet, gasping for air. She looked up when I came in.

"Hey, bed head," she teased. I rolled my eyes. Only Clare would make jokes while puking in her boyfriend's toilet. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bathtub and rubbed her back.

"You okay?" I whispered.

She nodded. "Just morning sickness. It isn't the first time I've had it. And don't worry, I'll clean your toilet when I'm done,"

"Don't worry about that. Nobody cares about that,"

She started coughing and that brought on another round of vomit. I grabbed her hair and pulled it away from her face.

About ten minutes later, color came back to her face and she stood up. "Well, that's usually about how long it lasts. Do you wanna go back to bed?" she asked.

"Are you sure your okay?"

"Yeah. That's how it works. I wake up and feel horrible, but when it's all over, I feel fine,"

I stood up and eyed her skeptically. "Okay," 

She took my hand and we walked back to my room. She crawled back in my bed and pulled the covers over her. I took my shirt and shoes off, noticing I fell asleep with them on and joined her.

"When did you change into your pajamas?" I asked, pulling the covers over myself.

"You fell asleep before me last night. You're quite cute when you sleep actually," she ran her fingers through my hair and I got the usual butterflies.

"So how long have you had this morning sickness before you decided to tell me?"

"About three weeks after we had sex. I've been having it a couple days a week since then. That's one of the reasons I got a pregnancy test,"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you were getting a pregnancy test? I would have liked to be there when you first found out," 

She sighed. "I didn't want to worry you. If I told you I thought I was pregnant, you would have worried about it forever. I wanted to be sure before I told you,"

I twisted my fingers through hers. "Clare, I have to asked you something,"

"What?"

I sighed, nervously. "Do you…regret it?"

She met my gaze and I looked away, fearing the answer. She put her hand against my cheek. When I looked back into her blue eyes, she smiled. "Eli, I don't regret having sex with you. It was everything I could have asked for and more. And it was with you," she blushed. "That made it better. Because I know you love me,"

I smiled and touched her blush. "Do you regret this baby?"

She took in a deep breath. "No. I mean if you think about it, we were gonna have this same exact baby later in life. It's just a little early,"

"How do you, like, feel about this? I mean, Clare, we…created life," I said, amazed. I knew I was capable of it, but this was a different feeling than I expected.

"I feel different. Knowing that there is life inside of me. Knowing that _your_ baby is living in me. I don't really take pregnancy lightly," 

I smiled. "I love you,"

"I love you, too," she leaned in and kissed me.

When I pulled away I had more to talk about. "There's a baby Goldsworthy in you. You should feel pretty special," I laughed.

She put her hand over her stomach. "I do feel special. I cant wait till he's born,"

"Stop saying that, Clare. You're gonna get your hopes up and when it's a girl you'll be said,"

"I wouldn't be sad. I would obviously still love her, but I know we're having a boy,"

"How do you know?"

"It's genetics," she said, simply. "Okay, one, my grandmother on my dad's side had all boys. My dad and two uncles. My two uncles have had all girls and my dad had me and Darcy. All of my cousins have had sons. Therefore, I'm going to have a son. Second, you're dad passed all the Goldsworthy traits onto you. Example, meeting your true love awkwardly and getting girls pregnant at a young age. So you're going pass that onto your son,"

I smiled and kissed her. "You got this all figured out, do you?"

"Yes I do,"

"Do you think we should start thinking of names? I mean, we're finding out the gender of him or her today at the doctors. We should be prepared,"

"Okay, so what names do you like for a girl?" she asked.

"Um, I kind of like Natalie or Brooke,"

"I like the name Brooke," she agreed. 

"So when we have a girl, we'll name her Brooke…" I trailed off, looking at her, waiting for her to fill in the middle name.

"Brooke Helen?" she offered. 

I nodded. "Brooke Helen Goldsworthy. I like it," 

"_But_," she emphasized. "When we have a boy we need to have names. I like the name Daniel or Ian," 

"Daniel's cool," I thought about that. "What about Daniel Ian Goldsworthy?"

She smiled. "That fits. Okay, so when he's born-"

"She," I corrected.

She sighed and laughed. "When _the baby_ is born, we'll either have Brooke or Daniel,"

I nodded. 

"Eli, are you still gonna love me when I'm fat?" 

I laughed out loud. Her question threw me off guard. "Of course I'm going to love you when you start showing. Because that only means Brooke is growing," 

"Or Daniel," she interjected.

I stood up out of bed and reached for her phone. "We seriously need to get to the doctors because I'm not gonna argue with you about our daughter. Let's see," I flipped her phone open and saw the text from her mom. "Your appointment is at eight. Your mom said she wanted it to be early so you could get it over with,"

Clare sighed and looked at the clock. "It's already seven-thirty,"

"Then let's go," I reached for my shirt and pulled it over my head. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. My hair still looked like a mess, but it didn't matter.

When I got back to me room, Clare was trying to button her pants. "I may not be showing, but I'm gaining weight," she sighed and gave up. 

I laughed at her. "Clare, you're pregnant. Obviously, you're not gonna be able to fit in skinny, size one jeans. Here," I tossed her a pair of my sweats. "Wear these,"

She groaned and pulled off the jeans. I laughed at her again.

"You know what, Eli, just because you don't have to gain all this weight doesn't mean you get to laugh at me,"

I shook my head. "I'm not laughing at that. You look pretty…hot in my sweats,"

"Shut up," she muttered and pulled on her shirt. I grabbed my car keys and we left.

We got to the doctors, gave her name and sat down to wait. I looked around at all the people. This was a pregnancy doctor, so most of the girls here had the baby bump. I looked down at Clare, as if expecting it to appear on her within minutes. Her stomach was still flat.

There was a couple sitting in a chair next to the door. The girl was crying and the boy was holding her hand, looking bored. I knew what they were there for. It was pretty obvious. It made me sick.

Abortion.

I never liked abortion. Just the fact that yes, the baby can feel and it's being killed before it has a chance to live. There is no excuse for abortion. Even if you did get raped, _then_ adoption is okay, but it's not the baby's fault. Why end it's life before it can live?

I looked away from the couple and back to Clare. She was chewing on her nail. "Clare, you're gonna be okay," I whispered.

"I know," she continued chewing on her nail.

A short blonde woman came in and called Clare's name. We stood up and followed her into a doctor's room. Clare sat on the bed and I stood next to her, holding her hand.

"Okay," the nurse said. "I need to ask you a few questions before your doctor can come in and give you an ultrasound. They will be kind of personal, but we need the truthful answers,"

"Okay," Clare whispered.

I squeezed her hand; I was here for her.

"Okay, Clare, so how old are you?"

"Seventeen,"

"And is this the baby's father?" she asked, nodding towards me.

Clare nodded.

"And how old are you?" the nurse asked me. 

"Eighteen," 

"Alright," she filled in her papers. "Now, Clare, is this your first pregnancy?"

"Yes,"

"So, I'm gonna assume you've never had an abortion?"

"Never," Clare answered firmly.

"Okay, and when you had sex, was it protected?"

"We used a condom, but it must have broke," 

"Did you notice that it broke?" 

Clare shook her head. "It was my first time, I didn't know,"

The nurse looked up to me. I shook my head, ashamed. It wasn't _my_ first time. I had no excuse why I shouldn't have felt it break, I just didn't notice. I was too caught up in the moment.

"Was that your only time having sex?" she asked.

"For me, yes," Clare answered. 

"Alright, and how long ago do you think it was?"

Clare thought about it for a minute. "About three months,"

The nurse nodded. "What led you to take a pregnancy test?"

"I didn't get my period anymore after we had sex and then I started throwing up in the morning. I didn't really know what to do, so I waited. I thought maybe I was sick, or my period was just messing up, but then I started gaining a few pounds and I bought a pregnancy test and it came up positive,"

The nurse wrote all of this down and then stood up. "Okay, well, Dr. Moore will be here in a few minutes to give you an ultrasound. Congratulations on your baby,"

"Thank you," Clare and I murmured and she left the room.

I sighed and looked around at the equipment. "This is so weird. I never expected to be here at eighteen,"

"I'm sorry," Clare whispered.

"Don't blame yourself and don't say sorry. This is my fault more than yours and I'm not mad or sad. I cant wait to be a father," I patted her stomach and the door opened.

A tall brunette woman walked in and smiled. "Hi, I'm Dr. Moore, it's nice to meet you Clare," she shook Clare's hand and then held her hand towards me.

I shook her hand. "I'm Eli,"

"And you are the father?" 

I nodded.

"Well, congratulations. Having a baby can be a scary thing, especially since you teens, but it is one of the best feelings in the world. Do you plan to keep it?"

"Yes," Clare answered.

"Okay, well let's get you hooked up so we can see your baby,"

Clare nodded and laid on her back. I held her hand and watch Dr. Moore lift up Clare's shirt to expose her stomach. She squirted that blue gel all over Clare and put the monitor to her stomach.

On the screen, a blotchy thing appeared. Clare and I started at it as it moved. 

That was our baby. Either Brooke or Daniel Goldsworthy. Tears streamed down Clare's face and I felt my own eyes fill up. I couldn't look away from the screen. 

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" Dr. Moore asked.

I think I nodded. The tears started to fall down my cheeks. 

All of a sudden, there was a loud _whooshing_ in the room. It took over everything else. That's all that mattered to me now. The _whooshing_ continued. 

"Do you two wanna know the gender?" 

"Yeah," I whispered, my eyes glued to the screen. 

"Congratulations, Eli and Clare, you're having a baby boy," 

"I told you so," Clare whispered. 

I felt the tears spill down my face. My baby? My son? I smiled. "Daniel,"

Clare squeezed my hand. "Daniel Ian,"

"That's a lovely name," Dr. Moore complimented. "So, do you want pictures of Daniel?" 

Clare nodded. "Six,"

I nodded, too. 

Dr. Moore turned the monitor off and wiped the gel off of Clare's stomach. She left the room to go get the pictures. I leaned down and kissed Clare's tear stained cheek. "I love you,"

"I love you, too," she kissed me on the lips. 

"Daniel," I said, liking the name of my son. "I cant believe it. I'm gonna be a dad. I'm gonna have a son!" I cheered, smiling at her.

"I'm glad you're excited. Daniel Goldsworthy. I was thinking, maybe we could call him Danny?"

I smiled bigger. "I like that,"

Dr. Moore came back in and handed us the pictures. I stared at my son, beaming. 

"So, Clare, what you need to eat to keep Daniel healthy is fruit, not much junk food. Depending on your cravings you might want it a lot, or you might be repulsed by it, but you shouldn't eat _just_ that. You may experience weird craving like banana's dipped in ranch dressing or your cravings could be something as simple as ice cream. Try to eat healthy and protein filled food. Drink lots of water. That actually makes the baby appear on the screen better, but it also keeps him hydrated as well as yourself. Come back next month for a follow up,"

Clare nodded and shook her hand. "Thank you so much,"

"Well, congratulations on your baby and good luck,"

We walked out of the doctors off and back to Morty. Clare seemed so happy. "I'm going to have baby boy," she said as I started to car. 

"I know. I'm gonna have a son!" I cheered again, so excited.

"I'm also gonna start getting bigger," 

I squeezed her hand. "Because Danny is growing,"

She nodded and smiled. 

We pulled into my house and got out. 

"Mom! Mom, Dad!" I called as we walked inside. I was bursting with joy and that fact that I was having a son. I couldn't wait to tell them.

My mom came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. "Your father's at work. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing is wrong!" I smiled and glanced at Clare. "Do you wanna tell her?"

She shook her head, smiling and nodded for me to do it. I turned back to my mom. "Mom, I'm-_We're_ having a son!"

"Honey, that's wonderful!" my mom hugged me, then Clare. "Do you have any names?"

"We're naming him Daniel Ian. Danny for short," 

"That's wonderful. Did you tell your parents yet?" she asked Clare.

"We're about to go over there now," I answered for Clare, then reached into my back pocket and pulled out a picture of Danny. I gave one to my mom. "There he is,"

My mom started to cry. "Daniel," she whispered and touched the picture. "He's gonna be beautiful,"

Clare twisted her fingers through mine. "I hope he has the Goldsworthy green eyes,"

"Your eyes would be beautiful on him, too," My mom said. "But thank you. Eli does get his eyes from me,"

I laughed. "Well, mom, I'll be back later. I'm not sure if Clare's staying over again…" I turned to Clare and raised my eyebrows.

She laughed, nervously. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Mrs. Goldsworthy, if that's alright?"

"Sure, honey," my mom lead her to the kitchen table. Clare towed me along. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine, I just wanted to talk to you about something kind of serious," 

"What is it?"

Clare and I sat down. My mom looked at me and I shook my head. I had no idea what Clare wanted to talk to her about.

"So, I know it's a big deal that I'm pregnant and I'm gonna be a handful in a few months. But I want Danny around his father so I was wondering about your opinion on me possibly moving in and staying here…permanently?"

My eyes widen. I was completely shocked my this. Clare and I would be living together. I started to smile.

"Clare, of course your welcome to stay here. As long as your parents say its alright, I have no problem with this,"

"I was planning to ask them later today. And thank you so much. I know it's gonna be rough when the baby comes, but I promise as soon as me and Eli can find an apartment we'll be out of your hair,"

"Clare, it's no problem. I know what it's like to have to no place to go and be a teen mother. I would love to have you here and raise Danny here. Of course, I want him to be around his father and I'm glad I'll get to see my grandson. And now I have an offer for you two," 

Clare and I looked at each other. I looked back at my mom. "Yeah?"

"I want you two to finish high school. I wont let you two become drop outs. So…while you're at school, I will take care of Danny,"

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Goldsworthy, that's means so much to me," Clare leaned over and hugged my mom.

"Thanks, mom," I said shocked.

"I know what its like. You shouldn't have to drop out of high school. So I'll help. And Clare you can live here as long as you'd like. Just come back tonight with your parents answer. I have got to get back to my dishes now, I'll see you both later?"

Clare and I nodded. My mom came over and kissed me on the forehead. 

I stood up and we walked to Morty. Before I started the car, I turned to Clare. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to move in with me?"

"Because I didn't want to get your hopes us, because your mom might have said no,"

I started the car. "No she wouldn't have and I knew that. You could have told me. You need to quick hiding things from me," I poked her in the side and she laughed.

"Sorry,"

"Do you think your parents will go for it?" I wondered, pulling into her driveway.

"I guess we'll find out," she squeezed my hand then got out of Morty and began walking inside.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" 

Mrs. Edwards came from downstairs and smiled. "Hi, honey, how was the doctors?"

"Great," Clare nodded to me and I pulled out of picture of Danny and handed it to Mrs. Edwards. 

She looked at the picture. "This is your baby?"

"We're naming him Daniel Ian," Clare answered.

Clare's mom smiled and a she blotted away a tear. "A boy? I'm having a grandson?"

Clare nodded.

"Daniel Ian?" she smiled. "I like it. It fits your baby," 

"Thank you," I answered.

"So, mom, I need to talk to you about something important," 

Clare's mom looked up from Danny's picture. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just…I want Danny to be around Eli as much as possible and Eli wants to be a big part of Danny's life so I talked to Eli's mom and she said it's okay for me to…move in with them,"

"You wanna live with Eli?"

"Just so Danny can be around his father,"

Mrs. Edwards looked at me. "And your parents are okay with this?"

I nodded. "Clare is allowed to stay with us for as long as she wants,"

Clare's mom nodded. "Well, I wanna be part of his life, too. What did you call him? Danny? I wanna be a big part of Danny's life. Maybe I could take him while you two are at school?"

"Eli's mom already offered. But you two could rotate. Danny could see you both," 

"Okay, that sounds great. Clare, tomorrow after school, I'm taking you shopping for maternity clothes. You should be showing soon. Are you sure this is what you wanna do? Move in with Eli?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm sure," Clare took my hand. I squeezed her fingers.

"Okay," her mom sighed. "But I still want to see a lot of you," she came over and hugged Clare. 

"You bet, mom. I'm gonna go get my stuff now. I'll come over after school, say four-ish?" 

"Sounds good,"

Clare pulled me up the stairs and into her room. She began throwing a bunch of stuff into bags. Her iPod, make-up, some clothes and undergarments. The rest of her stuff was already at my house. 

I grabbed her bag and swung it over my shoulder. "You ready?" I asked, holding my hand out.

She took it and smiled. "Let's go home,"

**Author's note: kinda long. My bad. I just didn't want to stop it in the middle of something, ya know? Anyway. Daniel Ian Goldsworthy? Yes? No? Perfect? Terrible? What do you want the baby to look like? Let me know…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: okay still not pregnant and I don't know how to be pregnant so I will make mistakes. (: I loved the reviews about what you want Danny to look like. The book is already written out so I cant change anything anymore but your baby ideas sounded cute(: I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

When we got home, she suggested we do our homework that was due tomorrow. I sighed. Honestly, I completely forgot about school tomorrow. I didn't want to ask her what she would tell everyone once Danny started growing, so I didn't mention it.

I grabbed my French book and she grabbed her math notes and we sat on my bed and tried to focus. She laid on her back and held the notes in front of her face.

I smiled over at her and pushed my French book aside. I crawled over and put my hands on either side of her face and my legs on either side of her body. The length of my body wasn't pressing against her at all; there was no weight to hurt her or Danny.

She put the notes on the bed. "Eli, you cant honestly expect me to focus on math when you're on me, can you?"

"No," I laughed. "But I need help with my French homework,"

"Oh, really?" she looked up at me, like she knew what I was planning.

"It's not what you think. I'm just gonna say something in French and then tell you what I said. I need to see if I speak if fluently. Wanna help?"

Her face fell a little. "Sure. Go on, tell me anything. I'll see if I can guess,"

I smiled back at her. I knew French very well, so I decided to make this complicated. "Clare, je t'aime tellement que je vous ai aimé depuis je vous ai vu. tu es tout pour moi et je ne veux jamais te perdre. je t'aime dans tous les sens et chaque façon dont nous sommes togther est étonnant. Je ne pouvais pas être plus heureux que vous me donnez mon premier enfant. Je ne peux pas attendre d'avoir Danny et j'espère qu'il ressemble exactement comme vous. Je ne pense pas que vous aurez jamais undersand combien vous signifie pour moi. je t'aime, Clare, de tout mon cœur. Je vous remercie de me donner vous-même et Danny,"

She had a blank look on her face. "Well, I heard my name and Danny's name, so I'm guessing it has something to do with me and Danny?"

I nodded.

"Can you tell me what you said?"

"I could…but only if I get a reward," I hinted, a smile playing on my lips.

She glared back, jokingly. "Come here," she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled my lips down to hers.

Well this _was_ French homework we were practicing. I slipped my tongue into her surprise mouth and I felt her hands go limp on my back. I pulled away laughing.

"Can you tell me now?" she asked out of breath.

I nodded. "Clare, I love you so much I've loved you since I first saw you. You mean everything to me and I never want to loose you. I love you in every single way and each way we are togther is amazing. I couldn't be happier that you're giving me my first child. I can't wait to have Danny and I hope he looks exactly like you. I don't think you'll ever undersand how much you mean to me. I love you, Care, with all my heart. Thank you for giving me yourself and Danny,"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Eli," she whispered. "Oh, Eli, I love you, too, so much. And every minute with you couldn't be better if we tried. Nothing and no one can compare to you. I need you, Eli. And as for Danny, thank _you_ for giving me him. He wouldn't be here without you,"

"What are you talking about? You have to carry him for nine months. All I had to was stick my-"

She put her hand over my mouth. "Okay! I get it! But the fact is, we _both_ created him,"

I smiled down at her. "Thank you,"

"Thank you," she echoed.

I leaned down and kissed her one more time, before rolling on my back and sighing. "Who do you think he'll look like? Me or you?"

"I don't know," she rolled on her side to look at me, propping herself on one elbow. "I just really hope he has your green eyes,"

"Or your blue eyes,"

"Either way, he'll be perfect,"

"Because he'll be ours," I twisted my fingers through hers and smiled. She blushed.

"You're right. He's ours. He'll be perfect. Especially, if he has the Goldsworthy genes,"

This time I blushed and smirked. "Yeah…"

She laughed. "Do you think we should go to bed?"

"Are you tired?"

"Kinda, yeah,"

"Then let's go to sleep,"

I got up and grabbed all our school supplies and shoved them into my school bag and her school bag while she dressed him her pajamas. She pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes.

I pulled my shirt and jeans off and just got in. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against my bare chest. "Goodnight, Clare, I love you,"

"I love you, too, Eli,"

"I love you, Danny," I whispered, but she was already asleep.

We woke up the next morning and Clare puked again. I felt terrible. I wished _I_ had to go through the pregnancy symptoms. I mean not only did she have to carry and eight pound child for nine months, deal with back pain, labor and giving birth, but she also had to throw up every morning. I wished I could do anything to make it better.

She got done and walked back into our room. I sighed. It was almost eight; we would have to get to school soon.

"Eli," she said as I pulled my shirt over my head. "I think we should tell Adam today at school,"

I zipped up my jeans and nodded. "Sure. I mean everyone's gonna figure it out eventually, but we can tell Adam,"

She sighed and laid down on my bed, legs hanging over the edge. "I cant fit into any of my jeans and I don't wanna wear sweats to school,"

I sat next to her and ran my fingers through her hair to calm her. "You're gonna have to for a little while. You going shopping today with your mom for maternity clothes. Only for today,"

She sighed and nodded. I gave her a pair of my black sweats and she pulled them on with a hoodie. I took her hand and we walked out to Morty.

When we got to school, we found Adam sitting with Drew and Alli on a bench in front of the school.

"Adam," I said. "Can we talk to you privately?" I looked at Drew and Alli. They began getting up.

"No, no," Clare protested. "Stay. They should hear this, too,"

I nodded and we all sat back down. I looked at Clare and nodded. She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"Okay, so I don't really want you guys to tell anyone yet, but Eli and I have something big to tell you,"

"You're engaged!" Alli screamed and smiled. "Oh my god, I knew it! I knew it! Drew, didn't I tell you? I knew it!"

"Alli, we're not engaged," Clare laughed. Alli's face fell. "I'm not engaged," Clare said again. She looked at each one of them. "But I am having Eli's baby,"

I smiled, hearing that. It sounded amazing to hear it come out of her mouth. Eli's baby. My baby. Danny.

"What?" Alli screamed louder then before. Clare shushed her. "You're _pregnant?_" Alli screamed-whispered. "Clare, you didn't even tell me you're having sex!"

"You didn't tell me either!" Adam yelled at me this time.

"You didn't?" Clare asked, turning to look into my eyes. The other three disappeared for a minute. "I thought guys bragged to their friends about sex,"

"Not me. That's personal,"

She smiled up at me and I smiled back, feeling the butterflies well up in my stomach and over flow into my heart.

"Okay, love birds!" Drew snapped his fingers at us.

"Clare Edwards. I cannot believe you're having Eli's baby!" Alli smiled.

It didn't sound as good coming from someone else, but it still made me smile. Clare was carrying _my_ baby. My Danny.

"I am," Clare nodded.

The bell rang. Clare stood up with Drew and Alli. "Eli, Adam, you coming?" she asked.

"No," Adam answered for both of us. "I need to talk to Eli, here, about something called a _condom_,"

Clare rolled her eyes and the three of them left.

I looked at Adam. "Just for the record, I did use a condom,"

"That doesn't matter. Why didn't you tell me you're having sex with Clare?"

"Not _having. Had_. We had sex. It was only one time, like, three months ago on our anniversary. That was her gift and I couldn't refuse,"

"I get that. She's hot, but what about her abstinence pledge?"

"I don't know! She said it was time. And she looked so sexy and was kissing me and _kissing _me and I just, kinda, let my hormones take over," I admitted.

"And now she's pregnant,"

"I know, I know. It is my fault. I tried to tell her that, but she wont listen,"

"But it really isn't your fault. Eli, you're a teenage boy with a hot girlfriend that threw herself at you. How could you say no? And besides that, she wanted it. It wasn't like you forced her. So it's really both your faults," he laughed.

"I know, but he's not a mistake," I murmured.

"Whoa, wait, _he_? As in male? As in you're having a boy?"

"We're naming him Daniel. Danny for short,"

"_Damn_. I cannot believe we are sitting here talking about your soon-to-be-born son, Danny. I do have to ask one thing, though,"

"Shoot,"

"What was it like? What was _she_ like?"

"Okay, we aren't having this conversation,"

"Oh, come on! Clare said herself guys are supposed to brag about this stuff. Unless she wasn't worth bragging about…"

He was trying to tick me off into spilling what it was like having sex with Clare and it was working. "She is worth it. It's just I wanna be respectful to her. Let's just say, it was amazing, she was amazing, everything felt amazing and now I have a son," I stood up.

"Okay, fine," she grumbled. He grabbed his bag and we began walking inside.

The rest of the day went by kind of slow. In lunch, Drew came up to me and pulled me over before I could find Clare.

"What do you want, Drew?" I wondered, glancing around the cafeteria to find Clare. "I need to find Clare,"

"You had sex with Clare?" he asked.

"Uh, kinda. Why?"

"Kinda?"

I tried to think of how to word this so it didn't sound cheesy. It was a whole lot more than just sex. "We didn't have sex, we made love,"

"Oh you made something," he muttered. "But, no, Alli wanted me to ask you because Clare wont answer any questions for her and she knows you wouldn't answer them to Alli, so I'm supposed to ask you,"

I looked at him, confused. "What does she wanna know?"

"She wants to know why you did it. Clare is abstinent and she wasn't supposed to have sex,"

I sighed. I knew that. I still felt bad about it. "Clare said it was the right time, and she was ready and didn't care about the purity ring. I wasn't going to say no,"

"Say no to what?" KC came up from behind me.

"Clare and Eli-"

"Dude!" I smacked Drew and gave him a shut-the-hell-up look.

"Clare and Eli moved in together," Drew saved. I sighed.

"Did you really?" KC asked. "That's nice,"

I knew KC wasn't too fond of me and Clare dating. I shook my head and found Clare, sitting at a table with Jenna, Alli, and Adam. Drew followed me over and sat next to Alli. KC didn't. He broke up with Jenna about a month ago, telling her he couldn't be a father. That disgusted me. If he didn't want to be a father, he should have kept it in his pants. At least I was there for Clare, and I wanted this baby.

Jenna and Clare were talking about babies. I smiled. Apparently Jenna was having a girl and they were discussing future marriages. I laughed. Danny wasn't even big enough to give Clare a baby bump and she was already setting him up.

Clare grabbed my hand. "What's funny?"

"So Danny isn't even here yet, and you're arranging marriages for him?" I laughed again.

"Alyssa is going to _love _Danny," Jenna promised.

"Alyssa?" I asked.

"Yeah. Alyssa Marie Middleton,"

"You're not giving her KC's last name? Good. He doesn't deserve it," I smiled at Jenna. I'll admit when I first came here and she was a bubbly, bottle-blonde cheerleader and I didn't want anything to do with her. But getting pregnant and her heartbroken had really made her mature. She's not as bad as I thought she was.

"No, he doesn't," Clare agreed and took Jenna's hand.

When lunch ended, Clare and I went to our separate classes. At the end of the day, I went to meet her at her locker and saw her talking to KC. Before I interrupted, I decided to listen.

"So, you're really pregnant?"

"Where did you hear that?" she asked him, turning to face him.

"No one. I heard you and Jenna talking about it in lunch. You really gave it up to him?" he scoffed.

"KC, he's one-hundred percent better than you,"

"And now you're pregnant with his devil child,"

I was about to cut in and tell him he better keep his mouth shut if he wanted to keep it attached to his face, but Clare shouted at him before I could.

"You're going to be a dad, too," she reminded him.

"No, I'm not,"

"So you're just gonna pretend like it never happened? You're really gonna leave Jenna all alone with _your _baby?"

"You don't get it, Clare,"

"No, I get it. You're scared, KC. You're afraid of this baby! That's why your running away from it! You're a coward and you always will be!"

"You don't know a thing about me now, Clare,"

"It doesn't matter! I know that you got Jenna pregnant and now you're leaving her because you're a scared little boy that cant man up to his mistakes!"

"Mistake? So you're calling the baby a mistake?" he started to look mad, like he was actually defending the baby.

"Don't even act like you care! You're the one who told Jenna to get an abortion! You don't want this baby! Well you know what, KC, if you didn't want to be a dad, you should have kept it in your pants!"

"You're one to talk! Emo boy didn't keep it in his pants!" he shouted back at her.

"So? He's still sticking with me and not leaving me with this baby alone. He's a real man. He takes responsibility for his actions and doesn't bail when he gets scared! He's more man than you'll ever be!"

"Is that why you lost it to him? Because you thought he'd be better than me?"

"This isn't about who's better or not, but for the record-he is better than you! This about you leaving your baby all alone. KC, you're father is in jail and hasn't been around you at all in your life and now you're doing that to your child!"

"Shut up!" he yelled. "You don't know a thing about my life or my dad or what's going on with me so shut your cocky, judgmental, stuck up mouth. Just because only Emo boy would give it up to you Saint Clare, doesn't make you all that. You're nothing but a bitch!"

I stepped between Clare and KC. "Alright, you need to get away from her now and stay away from her,"

"What are you gonna do about it, _dad_?"

"KC, whether you like it or not, Jenna is having _your _baby and you're gonna be a father. So, like Clare said, stop running away from it and man up to it. Quit being a coward,"

"Eli, you know you're terrified right now," he assumed.

"You're right," I admitted. "I am terrified. But I'm not terrified that my baby is gonna screw up my life. No, I'm afraid I'm gonna be a bad father, or that Clare is gonna go through pain just to give me my baby, but I most certainly am not running away from my baby,"

"You don't know me," he whispered.

"I don't have to. You got someone pregnant. Don't you care that your baby is inside of her?"

"Of course I care!"

"Then why are your leaving her alone with it?"

"Because I cant be a dad!"

"Then you cant be a man," I said calmly. I wrapped my arms around Clare's shoulders and pulled her away from KC. "C'mon, let's go home,"

We got in Morty and she started crying. I pulled her into my arms. "It's okay, it's okay. KC is a jerk, don't let him get to you,"

"It's not that," she sniffed. "Are you really scared, Eli?"

"Yes. I'm terrified. But I'm scared that I'm going to screw up Danny's life. Not that he's gonna screw up mine. Clare, he's only going to make my life better,"

She smiled and kissed me. I could taste her tears on her lips. I pulled away and started the car.

I had to drop Clare off at her parent's house so she could go maternity shopping with her mom. I didn't know what I would do while she was gone.

**Author's note: well, there you go. Adam, Alli, Drew, KC…their reactions. Like? Dislike? I liked Eli talking to KC about it. I wish they would have a conflict on the show. Well, send me love…**


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: okay I find this chapter so sweet(: Eli would be the best dad in the world, hands down. (SPOILER FOR THIS CHAPTER) for those of you that asked, this is the episode Clare and Eli have sex again :D :D :D :D :D big deal! _I love you reviews they really make me smile.

**I drove home and wondered around my kitchen, looking for something to eat. I settled on making myself a grilled cheese sandwich. My dad came in the kitchen as I turned the stove on.**

"**Hey, Eli, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, sitting at the counter.**

"**Can you do it while I'm cooking?" I grabbed some bread and cheese out of the fridge and placed it in the pan.**

"**Sure. Eli, we've had this talk over and over and over, so why was it so hard to you protection with Clare?" he asked.**

**I sighed. "I did, dad, honest. But…I guess it broke," **

"**Eli," he sighed. "How did you not notice? I mean, I'm glad you're sticking by her side and not bailing because of this baby, but you should have known,"**

"**I know, dad, I know. And I take complete fault for it. I know it's my fault. But I was…caught up in the moment. I know that's a lame excuse, but it's true. I couldn't think about anything else. I couldn't think at all! But I love Clare and I love Danny,"**

"**You're mom told me you're naming him Daniel,"**

"**Danny for short," I muttered, putting the grilled cheese on a plate and sat next to him. "Dad, I know I was an idiot. And I'm sorry,"**

"**Eli, I'm not blaming you. But I just wanted to know. I thought you didn't use any protection at all,"**

"**No, I'm not that stupid," I laughed.**

"**You're not stupid, Eli, you made a mistake, but you're taking responsibility for it,"**

"**Danny's not and **_**it **_**and he's not a mistake," I said evenly.**

"**You know what I mean. You didn't plan for him, or the condom breaking, but it did and instead of being like most teenage boys, you're sticking with Clare. I'm proud of you,"**

**I smiled. "Thanks, dad,"**

"**And since, I'm so proud of you, I've got a surprise for you. Well for you and Clare actually, but I want you to surprise her with it, so I'll show you when you're done with that," he pointed at my sandwich.**

"**Okay?" **

**I finished eating and my dad led me upstairs. We came to a stop at the room across from my bedroom.**

**The room was small. It used to be my old room, but when I got into my teen years, I transferred to my room. Right now, we were using this room for whatever. Last time I was in there, my mom had boxes of everything in there. Baby pictures of the whole family, old toys from my toddler years, clothes that she never wore. From my knowledge, it was storage.**

"**Dad, what are we doing here?" I asked, forehead crumpling in confusion. **

"**Go inside and see,"**

**I turned the knob and walked in. Had I entered the right room?**

**All the boxes were gone. Well, not **_**all**_** the boxes. There were only four or five and they were label in big, black sharpie. **_**Clothes, Crib, Rocking Chair, Toys, Misc. **_**I glanced around the room. There was a white tarp down and there were two buckets of paint. One red, one black. **

**I turned back to my dad standing across the threshold. "What is this?"**

"**This is Danny's room,"**

**My face broke out into a giant smile. Danny's room, right across from mine and Clare's. "Thanks, dad," I went to him and gave him a hug before turning back to the room.**

"**I thought we could put the crib together before Clare got home, then you could surprise her,"**

"**Sure,"**

**We spent the next hour and an half setting up the crib and rocking chair. The crib was white and had a dark blue mattress and covers. The mobile held the fish from **_**Finding Nemo**_**. We put it against the south wall.**

**In the corner where the east and north wall met, we set up the white rocking chair. It had a dark blue pillow, so I figured my dad bought it to match. We piled all the boxes in the corner and all that was left was to paint it. **

**My dad left the room, while I started at it. I opened the paint bucket and the red splattered all over my black v-neck. I sighed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me, just in case.**

**I pulled off my shirt and threw it in the hamper. I opened my closet door and looked for another black shirt.**

"**That's a good look for you," Clare murmured.**

**I forgot about my closet and turned to look at her. She was in the same shirt she wore to school, but she actually had on jeans.**

**I raised my eyebrow.**

"**I finally found jeans I could fit in! It'll only be for, like, a month, but I just really need jeans," she smiled.**

**She set down her other bags and came over to me. Her hand brushed down my chest and stomach, leaving my breathless.**

**I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me, crushing her lips with my own. She gasped and I took that advantage. My tongue entered her mouth and her heart sped up. With her hands resting limp against my chest, I pulled her over to my bed. **

**Being gentle with her, I pulled her down on top of me. She rested on my chest as I continued to kiss her. I moved my lips down to her neck and placed a bite under her jaw bone. **

**She moaned out my name, sending the butterflies up my stomach, through my chest, into my throat, and clouding my brain. **

"**You know, Clare," I breathed in her throat. "I was thinking, before Danny starts growing, we could…" I trailed off, touching the buttons of her jeans. **

"**We could what?" she gasped.**

**I messed her the button of her jeans more. "You know…"**

**When I unsnapped the jeans, she got the message. "Oh! Um, I mean it wouldn't hurt him, but would you want to? Like, our **_**son's **_**in there,"**

"**He cant hear or feel yet," I persuaded, brushing my teeth along her collarbone. Her breath came out ragged. **

"**Um…" she breathed. I wasn't sure if she **_**could**_** say anything more. I gently bit her neck. "Okay," **

**I took that as a yes and pulled down her new jeans. She reached for my jeans as I rolled gently onto her. She brushed her hands down my chest and pushed the jeans off. I couldn't help myself this time. **

**As my teeth collide with her neck, I let a soft moan out. She laughed and twisted her fingers in my hair. My blood felt like it was going to boil out of my skin. **

**We didn't sleep afterwards. I just held her in my arms. "I love you, Clare," I murmured over and over again.**

**The sun was starting to go down, when I remembered her surprise. "Oh! Clare, I have something for you!" I jumped out of my bed and reached for my boxers. I yanked them on, then my jeans, not worrying about my shirt and pulled her up. She grabbed sweat and yanked them on, figuring jeans would take too long. It wasn't like she was big yet, but she was starting to get a small bump. I beamed.**

**When she got her shirt on, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door across the hall. "What are we doing here?" she wondered.**

**I just smiled at her and opened the door. She walked through and gasp. "Eli, it's beautiful," **

**I could hear her begin to cry. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. "Do you like it?" I whispered into one of her love bites.**

"**I love it, Eli, and so will Danny," she placed her hand her still-flat stomach. **

"**There is red and black paint, so I figure either black with red border or red with black border,"**

**She reached up with her free hand to wipe away her fallen tears. I smiled. "I'm glad you like it. We can paint it tomorrow if your up for it,"**

"**Okay, I'd like that,"**

**I kissed her neck and stood up straight. She turned around and hugged me around the waist. Her head rested on my chest and I wound my arms around her shoulders. "I love the sound of your heartbeat," she whispered.**

**I kissed the top of her head. "I love the sound of you're breathing. And hearing you say my name, and say you love me, and say Danny's name, and I **_**love **_**it when you say you're having my child,"**

"**Well, then let's hope this doesn't kill you," she pulled away and looked me right in the eyes. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. I almost passed out. "Eli, I love you, and I am having your baby, Danny," **

**I beamed so big it hurt, the butterflies flew around my stomach painfully. **

"**Eli, breathe,"**

**I hadn't realized I wasn't breathing until she said that. My breath came out in a rush and her eyes fluttered. **

"**I have to go take a shower," she said.**

"**May I join you?" I asked, suggestively.**

"**Eli," she blushed. **

**I trailed my fingers along her cheek then cupped her face in my hand. "You're beautiful," I whispered. "Don't ever be embarrassed,"**

**It took her a minute. "I'm not embarrassed around you," **

"**Then let me be in the shower with you. You've never seen me with my hair wet,"**

**She smiled. I knew I was right and I knew Clare well enough to know she wanted to see me with wet hair. "Fine. But **_**all**_** we do it shower," she gave me a stern look and I laughed.**

**After our shower, we laid down in our bed and fell asleep under our covers. **

**I was definitely getting used to everything being **_**ours**_** and not **_**mine **_**or **_**hers**_**. And pretty soon, we would have **_**our**_** child. **

**Author's note: ELI IS SO SWEET (: I just wanna say, I'm not trying to rush this book, but there's only so much I can write within nine months she's pregnant so the next chapter she will be seven months. Sorry to those who didn't want me to rush it, but I cant go day by day for nine months because the book would be too long and I wanted to get to the good stuff. I hope I don't loose readers. I love you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: I'm not gonna be home for like two days I think so I gonna post this chapter now. If I get ten more reviews by the time I get home, I'll post more, but I'm not posting anything else until I get ten more reviews. Kthanks(:**

**(oh, and I like I said, Clare is seven months preggers now. Sorry if you guys think I'm rushing it but this is how I think it should go. don't hate me)**

Clare was seven months pregnant now. She had her big baby bump, her mood swings, her weird cravings for nothing but hot cheetos, but she was perfect.

Daniel has been kicking a lot lately and I loved it. I could only imagine what I felt like to Clare. To me, it felt unreal. I had more trouble believing that my baby was in there. The first time he kicked, I about passed out.

Clare and I were painting his room. We had finally unpacked all the boxes and set up his toys and clothes and dresser. She was resting on the rocking chair and we were listening to the alphabet song over and over and over. Clare thought that if he heard it a billion times before he was born, it'd be easier to teach him when he got older.

She shot right up out of the chair and gasped, clutching the side of her stomach. I thought she was hurt or something was wrong with Danny. Instinctively, I blamed myself. Had I given her the wrong thing to eat? Had I hurt Danny in anyway? We hadn't had sex since she was three months, so it could be that.

I rushed over to her and she was crying. I started freaking out, I made her sit back down and tell me what's wrong.

"He's kicking!" she screamed.

My heart stopped when she said that. She grabbed my hand roughly and placed it gently on her stomach, just in time for me to feel a nudge under her skin, touching my hand.

Tears welled up in my eyes as he continued to kick. I didn't know what to do. I was speechless. My son was moving, he could hear, and kick, and move and he was growing and _alive_.

After that, every time he kicked, if I were around, she'd made me feel it. It was never as amazing as the first time, but nothing ever is. Still, each time, feeling my son kick my hand through Clare's stomach, made me feel unreal.

Right now, Clare was sleeping in our bed. I looked up at her face and saw how peaceful she looked.

I shimmied myself down the bed and faced her stomach. I patted the side of it gently. "Hi, Danny," I whispered, not wanting to wake up Clare. "I hope I'm not waking you, but I just wanted you to hear my voice so you know it when you're born. I love you, Danny,"

I sat up and grabbed my iPod, then laid back down and faced him again. "I want you to hear something. It was the song I was listening to before I knew you were coming, and the song I listened to after I knew you were coming. I think I subconsciously knew you were here the whole time. That's what made me choose this song. I don't know, but it's how I feel, Danny. This song is perfect,"

I selected the song and put the headphone's against Clare's stomach. This song was my feelings exactly. Every word spoken was exactly what my heart was saying.

When the song was over, I placed the iPod on the floor and rolled back over to Danny. "It's exactly how I feel about you. I know you can hear me now, so I'm gonna tell you what I felt. I'll tell you again when you're older, but you should know now.

"When you're mom came to me and told me you were coming, I immediately got happy. Your mom is the love of my life and I know I'll be with her forever. Having you is gonna make this relationship a lot better, I know it. This song sums up my feelings. And I don't want you to be like me. Look like me, sure, but don't act like me. I have made so many mistakes and they cost me the people I love. Don't ever do that.

"You'll find the girl you're meant to be with at an early age. I just want you to know. My dad-your grandpa-found my mom at fourteen. I found your mom at sixteen. But when you do, I guarantee it'll be awkward and rude. It happens to all the Goldsworthy's. So when you meet a girl and you think you totally bombed the meeting, it usually means she's the one.

"Speaking of the one, Danny, make sure you always use double protection. You don't understand what that means, but one day you will. Just break the habit of Goldsworthy's getting teens pregnant. I don't regret you at all, and I love that your mom and I our having you, but I want you to wait.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed. I cant wait till you get here, Danny. I cant wait to hold you and be a dad. I hope you and I are close like I am with my dad. You can come and talk to me about anything. Don't ever be scared to tell me something. I don't judge people. Oh, and Danny," I added. "I know your mom wants you to have my green eyes, but I _really_ want you to have her eyes. They need to live on,"

I kissed her stomach and pulled myself up to lay next to her. It was hard to cuddle her now, but I always did. I wrapped my arm around her expanding waist and pulled her as close as I could manage. I felt Danny kick through her stomach and it gently touched mine.

I smiled.

"Eli?"

For a split second my heart stopped. I was so out of it, I thought Danny was talking back. But when I opened my eyes, blue oceans were staring back me.

"I'm sorry, I woke you," I whispered.

"Don't be. You were talking to Danny. It was sweet. You're already a great dad,"

"Thank you,"

"How did you really feel, Eli, when you found out I was pregnant?"

"Well…" I took a deep breath and smiled, trying to find ways to word my emotions. "I already loved you with all my heart. You were the only thing that matter. Not myself, or my family, or my friends. Just you. But when I found out you were carrying Danny, it wasn't just you I couldn't loose, it was you and him. And it's not like my love was divided between you two, but my heart doubled. I suddenly had two hearts. One dedicated to you, one to Danny. You both are my world," I kissed her forehead.

She began sobbing.

"Oh, no, mood swing," I pulled her close and tried to quiet her cries. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay,"

"Eli, that is so freaking sweet!" she pounded her fist gently against my shoulder. I laughed. "I cant believe you're laughing at me! Why do you hate me?" she began sobbing again.

"Damn, Clare, you're mood swings are crazy,"

"Stop mocking me!" she cried against my chest.

I tried to stop laughing, but I couldn't. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,"

She began laughing hysterically with me. "You're so right. I'm crazy! But I love _you_!" she kissed me on the lips.

I sighed into her mouth and she pulled away. "I love you, too," I laughed.

She snuggled against my chest and passed out within seconds. I rubbed my hand up and down her back and laughed. Clare was one of those pregnant girls with mood swings that changed every five seconds, and oddly, that made her more perfect.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep with her.

When I woke up, I slowly unwrapped Clare's arm from around my waist and stood up. We were in school break right now for Thanksgiving. Clare was doing good with going to school and being pregnant. The kids figured it out, and ambushed her with questions, but she just put a smile on her face and said she was excited to be a mom.

I knew Clare was in pain. I wasn't that stupid. Pregnant women were in pain. I knew her back hurt and Danny played kickball on her stomach. She was always hungry and moody and I just wished that I could take some of the symptoms away from her and let her rest. Danny would be worth it, though.

I had gotten a job at a local newspaper place. I reviewed bands for the paper and it paid well enough. I had about a thousand bucks saved up and we were looking at apartments. But for right now we were happy at my parents house.

I walked down to the kitchen and cooked bacon, eggs, waffles and toast. I grabbed a bag of hot cheetos and walked upstairs with it all on a giant tray. I sat the tray on my nightstand and leaned over Clare. She was so beautiful. I brushed my fingers under her eye and down her jaw bone to her chin. From there, I traveled up and touched her lips. They formed a smile under my fingertips.

Her eyelids fluttered open and her beautiful oceans were staring back at me. They sent a _pang_ into my heart and all I could do was wish for Danny to have those eyes.

Clare took my hand and put it on her stomach. Danny kicked my hand and I smiled. "Good morning to you, too, Danny,"

Clare adjusted herself so she was sitting against our headboard. I set the tray on her lap. "Here's your breakfast in bed,"

"Eli, you didn't have to do that,"

"I wanted to," I touched her cheek one more time and felt the heat flood.

I set next to her in our bed and just stared at her face. Her gorgeous face. How can someone so perfect be mine?

"I hope he has your smirk," she mumbled, swallowing a fork full of eggs.

"And your eyes," I added.

She shook her head. "Your eyes,"

"But we cant loose your oceans,"

"I'm right here, Eli," she took my hand. "And I'm not going anywhere. You're oceans will always be right here with you,"

I smiled. "But I want them to continue on. To Danny, then his kids, then their kids, so your oceans will never be gone. Someone will always enjoy them as much as I do,"

"But what about your emeralds?" she protested. "We cant loose those, either. I want Danny to have your eyes, so some lucky girl can fall in love with them just like I did,"

She turned to face me and our emeralds and oceans mixed. I could see love in her gaze and I knew that's what she saw in mine. I didn't stop staring into her eyes. She put my hand on her stomach and Danny kicked madly. Like he could tell I was looking at his mom.

I smirked.

"There it is," she sighed and broke away, going back to eating. "The smirk we cant loose. As much as it annoys me, I cant be without it. Danny has to have it,"

"He'll be fine without it. It's only gotten me beat up,"

"No, Eli, you get yourself beat up,"

"Ouch!" I laughed.

"As long as Danny's just like his father, he'll be perfect, despite what you say," she said in remembrance of last night.

I sighed and shook my head, but said nothing.

When she was finished eating, I took her stuff back down to the kitchen and put them in the sink.

I walked back up to our bedroom and pulled her into a giant hug. Danny kicked against her and my own stomach. I smiled and hid my face in Clare's hair. "I love you both,"

She kissed my neck. "I love you, too,"

**Author's note: I hope you liked it. I think Eli is so sweet XD in the next chapter Clare finally had her baby and we get to see what he looks like. Green eyes? Blue eyes? Brown hair? Black hair? Hmmm. You'll have to review to find out….*hint hint*…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: DUN DUN DUN DUN! The final chapter and, that's right, DANNY IS BORN! :D :D :D :D wh-hoo. I got a lot of reviews for how they want Danny to look and this is the chapter where you find out. Blue eyes? Green eyes? Both? Black hair? Brown hair? Smirk? Read to find out…**

Any day now, any day now, any day now. I couldn't stop thinking those words for longer than ten minutes.

After our last doctors appointment, Doctor Moore said Clare was due any day now. Could be today, tomorrow, next week, whenever. It was killing me! I wanted Danny here _now_.

Clare had gotten much bigger and according to the sonogram, Danny was fully grown. It was about timing now. It could happen _any day now_.

The words kept repeating it my head. I have never seen someone give birth, let alone to _my_ child. I was terrified. Clare said she was ready. She read books, talked to her mom, my mom, the doctors.

My dad told me it was something I would never forget and I didn't doubt that. He said it was the most amazing moment in a man's life, especially if the man wanted the baby and loved the baby it was terrific.

I didn't know if I was ready. I guess I would figure that out when Danny was coming.

"Eli? Eli!" Clare waved her hand in front of my face and I jumped back into reality.

"What? What? Is it time?" I shouted.

"No, no," she laughed. "You were just spacing out. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"I'm excited and scared," she sighed.

"It will hurt?" I asked.

"My mom said it was the worst pain I'll ever feel, but I don't believe her,"

"Why not?"

"I've lived through the worst pain ever,"

"What are you talking about?"

"When Fitz almost stabbed you. I thought you were gone forever. And for that brief moment, I didn't know if you were dead or alive, I just felt lost. Empty. Wrong. It hurt so bad, I thought Fitz actually stabbed me. Nothing could hurt worst than that,"

I wrapped my arms around her. "Clare, I'm sorry,"

"Don't be. It was so long ago. I'm just saying, I've lived through the worst pain ever. Nothing can top it,"

I held her close and rubbed her back. "Do you wanna sleep?"

"Sure,"

I pulled the covers over us and she laid against my chest. We fell asleep instantly.

I don't remember what woke me. I peered into my dark room. My back was to Clare and all I could see was blackness. I tried to remember what happened to wake me.

"Eli," Clare said.

"Yeah?" I muttered, sleepily. I closed my eyes again and groaned. This better be a good reason.

"Eli, it's time,"

"Time for what?" I was unreasonably cranky when I was woken up. I didn't mean to be so mean.

"Eli!" she screamed.

My eyes snapped open and my heart stopped cold.

_Now?_ No. No, I wasn't ready. I didn't know what to do. I jump out of my bed and turned on the light. Clare had her eyes closed and was taking deep breaths. I grabbed the bag we had packed for the doctors and took her hand. "C'mon, let's get you to Morty. Gently. Slowly. C'mon," I carefully helped her out of bed, and we started walking downstairs. She got in Morty and I close the door behind her.

I threw the bag in and started the car. We began driving. I pulled out my cell phone and called my mom, noticing it was five-thirty as I did so.

It went straight to voicemail like I figured. "Mom, it's me. Clare's water broke and we're on the way to the hospital. When you wake up, come straight there. Call me," I snapped my phone close and pulled into the hospital.

Five hours later, at ten fifty-three in the morning on January 11th, Daniel Ian Goldsworthy was born.

It took Clare five hours. Five hours of her being in pain. Five hours of me wanting to kill myself watching her oceans over flow. Five hours of her pushing and screaming. Five hours of anticipation.

When the five hours were over, a new cry took over the room, took over my whole life, my whole heart.

Clare gasped for air at my side, still gripping my hand for dear life, but I couldn't look at her. Once I saw the doctor hold him up, he was the only thing in my world. I felt my own tears spill over as I watched him cry.

So tiny, so small, so fragile. The nurses took him over in the corner to wash him off. Clare settled into a sitting position and her eyes followed him, too.

They wrapped him in a baby blue blanket and gently placed him in Clare's waiting arms. My eyes hadn't left his.

He was small. So _tiny_. His eyes were still closed and he stopped crying. Clare and I hadn't since he was born.

A smile that broke my heart appeared on her face as she looked at our son. He had my natural hair color, light brown. I couldn't help but notice how is face was long and thin just like mine. I smiled.

"Do you want to hold him?" Clare whispered brokenly.

I could do nothing, but nod. She slowly tucked him in my arms where he fit perfectly, like my arms were made to hold me. I still couldn't speak and then…

Danny opened his eyes.

I was expecting-_hoping_-for Clare's oceans, but instead I got my emeralds. They were bright green. Brighter than mine. They looked out of place on a newborn baby. My newborn baby. There was no hint of Clare in his features and that made my face fall.

"What's wrong?" Clare asked, alert now, motherly instincts kicking in.

"He looks nothing like you,"

"Good. I want him to look exactly like you," she murmured, then she beamed. "He has your eyes?"

I nodded.

She smiled bigger and began to cry. "The emeralds live on,"

I looked back down at Danny in my arms. It was like looking at my baby pictures. I could only see myself. Somehow, that made me happy. This was _my_ son, and seeing him look like me made it more real.

A nurse came over and told me they had to take him to do test, take footprints, birth certificate and he would be back in an hour.

I had trouble giving him up, but when I did, I sat next to Clare on her hospital bed. She leaned into my shoulder. "We did it,"

"No, Clare, _you_ did it,"

"Eli, my butterflies are back," she whispered.

"What?"

"All nine months I was pregnant with Danny, I didn't have butterflies. Not even around you. It's like he was filling them up,"

I smiled. "I have butterflies. But it's different. They're a different kind of butterflies," I murmured.

She wrapped her hand around my own and the small gesture said so much more.

_I'm here. Danny's here. We are together and happy. He'll be happy and so will we. Forever_.

I squeezed her hand and felt another tear fall down my cheek. Clare leaned up and wiped it away.

**Author's note: well, there you have it. Danny looks EXACTLY like Eli. Good? Bad? One thing for sure, he's gonna grow up cute.(:**

**SPEAKING OF growing up I have one more sequel in the "butterfly" series. It's called "my own little butterflies" and it's about Danny being a teenager. AND *hint hint* Danny might have a little sister. Maybe. I don't know? Just like you did with "Butterflies" if you want me to post the sequel review and tell me. Thank you guys so much your reviews are amazing :D**

**~Karlee**


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